WHL Saskatoon Blades

Blades Bring Pats To Town

Published on February 27, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Saskatoon Blades News Release


The Saskatoon Blades host the divisional rival Regina Pats for the final time this season at Credit Union Centre. Game time is 7:05 pm.

Head-to-Head

This marks the seventh meeting of the season between the Blades and Pats with one more remaining after tonight. The Blades are 4-0-0-2 against Regina this season. The Pats, meanwhile, come into the game with a 2-3-0-1 record in the head-to-head matchups.

Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) and Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC) share the lead for the Blades' attack with two goals and six assists for eight points.

In between the pipes, Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) comes in with a 3-0-0-2 against the Pats with a 2.13 goals against average and a.918 save percentage. Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) is 1-0 after making 31 saves on 35 shots in his lone appearance against the Pats.

On the Regina side, overage forward Brett Leffler leads the way against the Blades with a goal and four assists for five points. Jordan Eberle and Matt Strueby are second on the team scoring list versus the Blades this season with three goals and an assist for four points.

In goal, Damien Ketlo is 1-2-0-1 against the Blades with a 3.86 goals against average and a.890 save percentage. Dawson Guhle, meanwhile, is 1-1-0-0 with a 3.36 goals against average and a.889 save percentage.

Saskatoon Blades

The Blades (43-14-3-4, 1st in East Division, 1st in Eastern Conference) enter the game having gone four straight games earning at least a point. Last night, the Bridge City Bunch continued the streak with a 5-0 win over the Prince Albert Raiders at home. Josh Nicholls (Tsawwassen, BC), with two goals and an assist, and Marek Viedensky (Handlova, Slovakia), with a goal and two assists, each had three point nights to lead the Blades to victory. Hulak and Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) also scored for the home squad. Morrison turned aside all 32 shots he faced to earn the shutout in goal.

The Blades are led in scoring this season by the 20-year-old Hulak, who has 29 goals and 46 assists for 75 points. Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB) is second on the team with 23 goals and 44 assists for 67 points. Elliott, a defenseman, is third with 23 goals and 37 assists for 60 points and is third in scoring for defensemen in the league.

Hulak has 29 goals on the season to lead the team.

Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) leads the team and is sixth in the WHL in penalty minutes with 156 this season. McNaught has 153 penalty minutes this season and sits in eighth in the league.

Elliott and Hulak top the Blades plus/minus list with a +39 rating and share the second spot overall in the WHL. Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) is tied for seventh in the league with a +35 rating.

In goal, Stanford has made 39 appearances and has compiled a 26-7-3-1 record to go along with a 2.71 goals against average (9th in the WHL), and a.901 save percentage. Morrison is 17-9-0-3 on the season with a 3.10 goals against average and a.899 save percentage in 31 games played.

The Blades are ranked 19th in the WHL in power play efficiency at 16.0% this season. The team is ranked 6th overall on the penalty kill at 81.8%.

Regina Pats

The Pats (26-32-3-4, 6th in East Division, 10th in Eastern Conference) enter the contest on a three-game losing streak. The team was on the ice last night and dropped a 6-4 decision to the Swift Current Broncos.

The Pats bring in to tonight's two players who are atop the WHL scoring list. Eberle has 43 goals and 49 assists for 92 points. Jordan Weal comes in with 31 goals and 61 assists for 92 points. Strueby is in third on the team with 33 goals and 21 assists for 54 points. Colten Teubert leads the Pats' rearguards in scoring with 10 goals and 28 assists for 38 points this season.

Eberle leads the Pats and is second overall in the league with 43 goals this season.

Leffler has 141 penalty minutes this season to lead the team in that category.

Rookie Brandon Davidson is tops on the team in plus/minus with a +17 rating.

In net, Ketlo has seen action in 46 games this season, putting together an 18-19-2-4 record to go along with a 3.45 goals against average and a.895 save percentage. Guhle has a 6-11-1-0 record in 23 appearances this season with a 3.95 goals against average and a.876 save percentage.

The Pats' power play is ranked 4th in the WHL at 25.4% this season. The penalty kill unit is ranked 15th in the WHL at 78.3%.

Blades vs Pats

Tonight's game is the annual Acklands Grainger Children's Wish Foundation Night. A special pre-game presentation will take place involving Blades captain Derek Hulak, who has now raised $11,000 for the Children's Wish Foundation as the Acklands Grainger Point Man. For every point Derek has made over the past three seasons, $50 is donated by Acklands Grainger to the Children's Wish Foundation.

Kids should be sure to stop by the Mac's Kid Zone and Michael's Craft Corner located on the concourse behind section D.

The Blades have just three more regular season home games after tonight.

- Tuesday, March 9th vs Moose Jaw

- Wednesday, March 10th vs Regina

- Friday, March 12th vs Prince Albert

Tickets for tonight's game and all remaining games are available online at ticketmaster.ca, by calling 938-7800, or by visiting any Ticketmaster location.

Check out the Saskatoon Blades Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 27, 2010


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